Chapter 2
Two
Miles
I smiled when I saw the three place settings at the dining table, not at all surprised by it.
Mateo could be brash, chaotic, and disorganized, but he was also the kindest, sweetest man I knew.
I was lucky to have him as my brother, and I knew without a doubt that I wouldn't have survived our childhood if he hadn't been with me every step of the way.
"Here you go," Mateo said out loud as he pulled back one of the chairs, and Duckie glanced between him and the chair before hopping on.
Are you sure? I can eat on the floor, he said, and Mateo rolled his eyes.
"Dude, even in duck form, you're still a person. We're not going to ask you to eat on the floor."
"Mat's right. You belong at the table with us," I agreed, and Duckie dipped his head in a nod.
Mateo brought over the bowl of mac and cheese, and I rushed to serve it into three bowls, placing forks in two of them while sliding the third in front of Duckie.
Duckie stared at the bowl for one breathtaking moment before lowering his head and taking a bite. I wasn't sure how well he could taste human food in this form, but judging by the waves of delight spilling into the bond, he liked it very much.
Mateo grinned, satisfaction oozing from his pores as he stuffed his face, and I rolled my eyes.
We ate in relative silence for a while, and I couldn't help sneaking glances at Duckie.
I'd known your life could change in seconds when you met your mate.
It wasn't like we had a scarcity of fated mates in Mistvale.
Fate was benevolent toward the residents of this town, and our clan.
After Cam and Micah, and then Finn found their mates, I'd figured it would either be one of ours or Neel or Pax's turn next, since Dean and Penny weren't in town, and Amelia was often traveling.
Yet, now that I was sitting beside my mate, I had no idea what to do. Was there anything I could do to make him feel more comfortable? Maybe comfortable enough to shift?
I had no idea if I should even mention it again. I didn't want to seem pushy, or to make him want to leave.
Maybe I could talk to Devon. While his and Ollie's situation hadn't been exactly the same, he still might have some helpful advice for us.
After dinner, Mateo and I cleaned up while Duckie explored our home. It was a cozy two-story, two-bedroom home with the combined living room and kitchen on the first floor and bedrooms on the second. I'd decorated the rooms in soft, warm colors, brown and beige with splashes of sunset orange.
I wondered what Duckie thought of our place. Did he like it? Could he see himself living here with us?
"Today was crazy, huh?" Mateo asked, jolting me from my thoughts. My lips curved into a wry smile.
"That's one way to describe it."
He snorted, then shook his head. "Yeah. When I walked into THP, I never in a million years imagined I'd be walking out with our mate. Or that someone would be our mate."
I hummed in agreement, somewhat glad he was the one who'd done that. I'd have panicked or messed it all up somehow.
"I was thinking of visiting Devon and Ollie tomorrow."
"That's a good idea. If anyone has experience with something like this, it's those two. How about you do that while I take Duckie to see the town a bit? Meet a few people?"
I supposed it would be pointless for both of us to visit the cat shifters, and I liked the idea of introducing Duckie to some of the people in our family.
"Maybe you could go see Uncle Raph?" Raphael Presley—or Uncle Raph as he'd always insisted we call him—was a healing mage, and one of the kindest people I knew. "Duckie and Alex might hit it off too."
Jai and Raphael had adopted another child a couple of months ago, a nonbinary incubus named Alex. We'd met them a couple of times, but they still preferred to keep to themselves. Maybe Alex and Duckie could get each other to open up? It was worth a try.
"That's a good idea. And then afterward, I'll show him the haunted house," Mateo decided, and I pursed my lips.
I wasn't sure how Duckie would take that, but the place wasn't functioning yet, so it wasn't quite the 'haunted' house yet.
For now, only the workers went in and out, while Cam and Mateo threw out crazier and crazier ideas that Kai—one of Cam's three mates—shot down one by one.
Maybe watching the two act like kids would be comforting for Duckie.
Once we'd finished cleaning up, Mateo pulled out a few of the blankets we'd bought from Noel—they were colorful, soft, warm, and made with love and a dash of elf magic—and completed a makeshift nest for Duckie to sleep in on the couch.
We'd debated over giving him one of our beds, but since he didn't want to shift back, he would be just as comfortable on the couch.
Judging by the way Duckie snuggled right in, he liked it.
Thank you, he said through the bond, the first words he'd said since dinner.
"You're welcome, Duckie. We'll be upstairs, but don't hesitate to give us a mental shout if you need anything.
There's some water for you on the kitchen counter, and I left the bathroom door open in case you need it," Mateo said, and a flutter of pride filled my belly.
He'd been so good with Duckie all day, and I could see why Fate had decided to pair those two up.
Duckie needed a friend who wouldn't back down from supporting him in any way necessary, and Mateo needed a friend who needed him the way I had for a very long time growing up. I'd always known Mateo liked being needed, that he was at his best when he was helping someone, and Fate somehow did too.
Duckie
After a night spent in the coziest blanket nest I'd ever slept in, I woke up to a breakfast of cereal—Froot Loops! I hadn't had those in ages—and coffee, after which Mateo declared he was taking me to meet some people.
"Only if you're up for it, of course," he remedied when my response wasn't quick enough.
I am, I said into the mental bond between us, wondering if I could talk to only one of them at a time or not.
I wanted to ask Mateo about his brother, since I found Mateo easier to talk to.
Miles was the quieter one of those two, and since I also wasn't a conversationalist, I didn't know how to talk to him.
"Would you like to drive there, or fly?" Mateo asked, and I perked up.
We can fly there?
"Of course. The good thing about being an owl and a duck shifter is that we don't have to worry about being spotted. The humans will assume we're common birds," Mateo said with a grin, and I nodded.
"Okay, then. I'll see you guys later? I have to drop by the B&B after I visit Devon, so I might not be back until evening."
"Make sure you text Devon before you leave. He might be at the auto shop today."
"Right, I forgot. I'll text him," Miles said, his eyes on his phone as he left with a distracted wave shot our way.
Mateo clapped his hands once, then stripped off his clothes and shifted into his owl form. He hopped closer to me, then pecked at my neck. He was a few inches shorter than me, and as if realizing that, he took a step back, tilted his head to the side, and then spread his wings.
Come on, spread yours too. I wanna see whose are bigger, Mateo said in my mind, and I rolled my eyes as well as I could before doing as he'd asked. Hell yes!
His wings were quite a few inches wider than mine, and he seemed satisfied, almost smug about it.
Why does that make you so happy? I asked, curious about his strangeness, and he glanced over at me. Even with an owl face, I could tell he'd be smirking if he was human.
Well, you know what they say about wingspans... He trailed off, a teasing note in his voice, and I tilted my head.
What do they say?
Oh damn, you don't know. Right. Well, I read in a book that wingspan is relative to the length of your dick. You know, wider wingspan equals a bigger dick. Of course, the book was about fae, and the real fae don't even have wings, so who knows if that's even true.
I blinked, then blinked some more as he stopped speaking. If I was in my human form, I was sure I'd be red as a tomato.
Shit, did I make you uncomfortable? I didn't mean to. I'm sorry. I swear I have no sexual interest in you. Or anyone, for that matter.
You've said that before. Can you explain to me what that means?
Sure! Well, as far as labels go, I'm AroAce.
I don't have any romantic or sexual interest in anyone.
Sure, I find some people pleasing to look at, and I can form strong, emotional bonds with people I start to care about, and I also masturbate sometimes and watch porn, but I'm not interested in doing all of that with a person, if that makes sense.
I have friends I would die for, but I don't want to kiss them or sleep with them.
And I don't do hookups, or sleep with anyone.
When I need some physical release, I watch porn and use my hands. Or toys.
While he was the first person I'd had a proper conversation with since I was eight, I didn't think most people were as open and upfront as he was.
He had zero hesitation about sharing the most intimate details about his life, and it was refreshing.
While I hadn't talked to people, I'd spent years observing them, and most people were rarely honest to each other.
Could I ask him about Miles as well? Would he be as open or would he tell me to ask Miles instead?
Thank you for telling me, I said, and he fluttered his wings in an approximation of a shrug.
If you'd like to know more about other sexualities, sex in general, or anything like that, I can show you some reading material on my phone. Or videos, if you'd prefer that.
Yes, please.
Cool. I'll show you once we get back home. Wanna head out?
Yes. Can Miles still hear us?
Nah. We can communicate like this when we're within a few hundred feet of each other. The radius grows as your bond gets stronger, but that was how it was for us in the beginning.
Understood.
Come on, let me introduce you to one of my favorite people in this town. You'll love him.
Mateo flew to the window, and I followed after him, taking off a second after he did.
I stuck close to him, but we'd been flying for a few minutes when he started dipping lower.
He hovered in front of the second-floor window of a house before dropping down to the first floor and landing on the window sill there.
He pecked at the glass, then moved to the edge as I landed beside him, the sill far too narrow for the both of us.
They have a dog. He's upstairs, so I figured it would be better to go in from here, though Padfoot is the sweetest dog you'll ever meet.
I jumped as the window slid open, glancing up at the blond-haired man smiling down at us. He had dark green-brown eyes, and something about him put me at ease. I found myself letting my guard down around him, which was strange since the man was a stranger.
"Hey, Mateo. Come on in. Who's your friend?"
Mateo flew into the room, landing on a couch as another man opened a cabinet and pulled out two robes, throwing one down the hallway. Mateo flew into the hallway—and out of sight—reappearing a moment later in his human form with the robe secured around his waist.
"Uncle Raph, Jai, meet Duckie. My mate," Mateo said with a grin, and I flew to his side, squeezing myself behind him as the two men's gazes fell to me.
Hey, it's okay. They're good people, I promise, Mateo assured through our bond, and the logical part of me knew he was telling the truth. I knew these people wouldn't hurt me.
But logic had never won against the fear that had dominated my life since I was a child, and I doubted it would now.